Today marks the annual World Aids Day, observed typically on December 1 every year.

The day - which is aimed at raising awareness and dedication to halt the pandemic caused by the spread of the HIV infection - will see famous figures like Prince Harry, Gemma Arteton and Paloma Faith campaign for its cause.

The theme for World Aids Day in 2014 is 'Focus, Partner, Achieve': a theme dedicated to creating an AIDS-free generation.

The idea for World Aids Day was conceived by two public information officers in 1987 but remains crucial to us in the modern day, with HIV on the rise in Coventry during the last calendar year.

AIDS - which stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome - is still a massive part of the world in 2014, with an estimated 35 million people living with HIV worldwide.

Facts

35.3 million people are living with HIV worldwide.

Over the past 30 years, the disease has killed 36 million people across the glove.

The President of the United States of America makes an official proclamation every year on World Aids Day, which is a tradition harking back to Bill Clinton in 1995.